They’re the generation that fully integrated gender inclusivity, the concept of active consent during sex, and everyday sex toy use into their lives, and yet Gen Z is done with hook-up culture. More accurately, they never bought into it in the first place, but not for the reasons you might assume.
We poured over opinions and stats from well-versed publications like The LA Times and Fortune to gather a smattering of the myriad reasons why the next generation of sexually-active adults is changing the future of sex – and, for once, not in the way Millennials and Boomers predicted.
According to research from The Times, 62% of 1,000 Gen Z participants polled said that neither they nor their friends have casual sex on the regular. Only about 23% have ever had a hook-up.
Similarly, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed only 30% of teens had ever had sex as of 2021. Per research from an article published by The Los Angeles Times,3 in 10 Gen Z men reported having zero sex throughout the entire year during a 2021 survey. For women, the figure was 1 in 4.
However you want to slice it, partnered sex is just not a priority for Gen Z, and honestly? We’re cool with that.
Most notably, and at the forefront of this topic, comes the fact that Gen Zers are open to both marriage and divorce.
Surprisingly, growing up surrounded by Boomer divorce hasn’t killed Gen Z’s desire to find their soulmate. In fact, it’s only made them more open to finding multiple soulmates throughout their lives and understanding that marriage doesn’t necessarily mean forever.
While that may sound counter-intuitive to settling down, it just means Generation Z has taken on a new attitude towards life partnership. Most want to marry for genuine love and not financial security, and 2024 survey findings from Her Campus Media showed that 40% of Gen Z folks were already in a relationship and 27% were actively looking for something serious. Marriage was of interest to 93% of them.
Even when compared to Millennials, Gen Z often feels enamored with the idea of true love. Despite the generation’s slowness in reaching typical life goals such as home ownership or university degrees, they’re seriously invested in building a support system and enjoyable life with a partner.
The increase in acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities has allowed members of Gen Z to explore and understand their sexual preferences earlier than previous generations.
In the LA Times article, a 28-year-old woman described her initial interest in sex, assuming she’d have it one day. When her college days came and went without so much as an inkling of desire for flirting, much less PIV (or any other kind of) sex, this young lady discovered she was asexual, and via Tumblr no less.
Today’s young folks have access to tools of self-discovery that even Millennials didn’t have, and if they discover they’re not into sex before they’ve hit 30, they’re just fine with that.
Somewhat sparked by COVID lock-downs, Gen Z are often more comfortable with best friendships and relationships forged – and kept – online. Some even feel like meeting in-person is part of a bygone era, and they chat with like-minded individuals over texting or video chats.
Apparently, meeting up isn’t even an essential part of the relational equation! A lot of young folks are currently reporting that their best friends are people they’ve never met, often connecting with peers across the country or even the globe, and they take these relationships just as seriously as those created through face-to-face interaction.
Low sex drive isn’t an issue for busy Gen Z, who are just fine with letting their studies, goals, and other preoccupations take priority over sex, even when they’re in a relationship.
Education and career take a lot of energy to pursue, and a sporadic sex life is often the result of stress and exhaustion from maintaining a busy schedule. While Millenials and Boomers have spent the last several decades scouring the internet for the cure to low or mismatched sex drives among partners, Gen Z is simply going with the flow, letting their bodies dictate when they feel like being intimate – even if that means waiting entire months for busy life periods to slow down.
The same Gen Z adults who’d rather have a fantastic career over a plentiful sex life with multiple partners are also worried about STDs when they finally do the deed. Some Gen Zers surveyed said they were scared away from spur-of-the-moment sex by horror stories of fellow young people who had contracted sexually transmitted infections during casual encounters.
With one of LELO’s biggest fan bases seemingly poised to obliterate the condom market, this might seem like a funny time for us to introduce our brand new LELO Hex Organic condom. However, we think our novel take on condoms fits right into Gen Z’s ethics.
The Hex Organic is biodegradable and crafted in responsibly sourced latex, so it won’t contribute to the planet’s plastics problem. It contains L-Arginine, a naturally-occurring, body-safe chemical that helps increase blood flow and thus sensitivity, making every sexual sensation stronger and more pleasurable, leading to a more meaningful experience for all involved. Hex Organic’s rubber latex design is composed of tiny, hexagonal structures for the thinnest, barely-there feeling we could muster. And even if you’re single or otherwise telling Tinder hook-ups to f-off, the Hex Organic works just as wonderfully over a sex toy or dildo.
So please, Gen Z, keep upping the world’s standards of love, safe sex, and relational commitment, but don’t forget the (organic, environmentally-responsible) condoms when the moment finally does strike.
Discover pleasure with:
SONA 2
ENIGMA
F1S V2
HUGO 2
GIGI 3
SORAYA Wave
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